Stories About Crowdwork – Analysis of the Self-Representation of Crowdwork Platforms on the Internet

Abstract

Crowdwork is often characterised by low incomes and insecure employment conditions. Nevertheless, the business models of crowdwork platforms require a sufficiently large number of crowdworkers. Like other markets, the market for crowdwork is socially constituted, and platform providers try to influence market activities by creating certain images of crowdwork. For platform providers, it is crucial to build a narrative that makes working on the platform attractive to potential crowdworkers. This article examines how platforms present themselves to crowdworkers. Therefore, the self-representation of German-language platforms is analysed. It can be shown that the narratives used and the stories told about crowdwork differ from type to type. Only some of the platforms describe crowdwork as a form of ‘real’ employment. These platforms obviously address (solo-) self-employed people, particularly those working in the IT sector or the creative industries. But even these platforms mainly describe crowdwork as an additional source of income. Especially when earning potential is low, a lot of platforms try to point out other advantages of crowdwork.